Of course I will still be hanging around...
Dashboards depends on what you need... I think that EvoX is a good dashboard for starters and it last a long way. Currently the only dash that supports trainers to 100% too.
I am using Avalaunch as I find it has more settings I want plus support for RSS feeds. UIX (User Interface X) is also popular along with UnleashX. MXM is used pretty much too and so is XBMC...
That did not answer your question but start with EvolutionX (EvoX) and if you feel that it lacks something go try one of the others.